Mac OS X Tiger to sport feature-rich Installer application

Apple's Mac OS X "Tiger" Installer application will support several new features to aid developers in delivering a more robust installation experience for users, Apple developer sources say.

The new version—officially deemed "Installer 2.0"—packs several basic enhancements, in addition to some advanced features that will provide application developers with more control over their application's installation process through the creation of installer plug-ins and distribution scripts.

Basic Enhancements

Installer 2.0 will gain support for file version checking, ensuring that installers only replace outdated files on the user's machine, leaving up-to-date files alone. The software will also allow developers to create application upgrades that let the user select the application to be upgraded, whereas previously users could only select installation volumes.

Another feature of Installer 2.0 is a developer preference to provide minimal interface installations. Using this feature, developers can reduce the number of panels shown to the user during an installation or implement completely automated installs. The software will also gain true support for multiple CD/DVD installs, prompting the user for new discs as they are needed.

Advanced Developer Features

For those developers who would like to further customize their application's installation process, Tiger will offer Installer plug-ins. More specifically, Installer plug-ins are bundles that developers may use to display custom panes in the Installer of their applications. These panes may be used to display instructions or gather additional information, such as registration and license information.

Additionally, developers will be able to create custom distribution scripts that offer a flexible and convenient way to install multiple subpackages from a single installation package. The scripts combine a simple collection of XML elements and optional JavaScript code to deliver a very sophisticated set of installation options to the user. Developers who use a distribution script can establish package dependencies, offer highly configurable installation options, and provide code to prevent the user from installing software on an unsupported hardware or software configuration.

Installer 2.0 will gain support for file version checking, ensuring that installers only replace outdated files on the user's machine, leaving up-to-date files alone. The software will also allow developers to create application upgrades that let the user select the application to be upgraded, whereas previously users could only select installation volumes.

Very cool. I can't tell you how many developers using Core Audio SDK where miffed when new version of Xcode had overwritten their newer CA SDK. This need to work without hitch.

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The software will also gain true support for multiple CD/DVD installs, prompting the user for new discs as they are needed.

With the Production Suite taking 64 gigs or more to install this is a welcome feature. Looks like future installs will have to take multiple Blu Ray discs....scary.

Is this thing still going to only cost 129? Seems like this OS is a developer's dream...but also an end-user's dream.

10.0 to 10.2 have focused almost entirely on the end-user...but mostly on speed instead of actual features. 10.3 seems to have pleased end-users, but developers didn't get very much to play with. But 10.4!? Holy moley. This one is big.

Someone on 10.3 should have the incentive of upgrading but 10.3 is really quite good so it would be forgivable if a 10.3 user decided to stay with 10.3...but someone on 10.2 or earlier deciding not to get 10.4 would be crazy.

Hopefully, once 10.4 is released, Apple will only need to maintain 10.3 and 10.4 actively, 10.2 and below should probably not get any attention at all. This would send users the message to upgrade...yes, a strong-arm tactic, but I since Apple has decided to slow the pace on OS X upgrades, people should make the effort to upgrade to at least 10.3.

Everyone would benefit. The developers would be able to use 10.3 and 10.4 features without alienating a lot of people and therefore apps would be built in less time (by using the new frameworks to do things they had to code manually before) and become more powerful...and developers would only have to support 10.3 and 10.4. The users would get the speed benefits brought in 10.3 and all the new features 10.3 and 10.4 brought over 10.2 and previous versions.

Apple would have time to improve the OS instead of spending resources and time maintaining versions below 10.3.

Originally posted by artooroThis is really great. It's about time Apple added these features. Now all they need to add is an uninstaller.

The uninstaller isn't needed for the most part since apps should be bundles that can be dragged and dropped into the trash and everything else installed by the installer (libraries, toolkits, drivers) should probably remain on the HD in case other apps are using it.

But if a developer so wishes, they can write a plugin to uninstall their app (if it doesn't conform to OS X guidelines and scatters files around instead of putting things in neat little bundles or if an installed framework must be removed.)

I can see the use of uninstallers on Windows...but very little use on OS X.

Originally posted by kim kap solThe uninstaller isn't needed for the most part since apps should be bundles that can be dragged and dropped into the trash and everything else installed by the installer (libraries, toolkits, drivers) should probably remain on the HD in case other apps are using it.

But if a developer so wishes, they can write a plugin to uninstall their app (if it doesn't conform to OS X guidelines and scatters files around instead of putting things in neat little bundles or if an installed framework must be removed.)

I can see the use of uninstallers on Windows...but very little use on OS X.

Yeah, your right for the most part. But simply removing an application bundle doesn't remove the preferences and any other files in the Library.

Also some things like MySQL which can't be in a single bundle would be a lot easier to uninstall using an uninstaller. Currently you have to do it manually or use a shell script.
Other than that there's also Perl, Apache, and other UNIX stuff.

But for the common Mac OS X application you wouldn't need an uninstaller.

Originally posted by KickahaThere is an uninstaller... it's called Installer.

If you installed the application using Installer, double-click on the package a second time, after installation, and you'll see an Uninstall item in the File menu. Been there all along.

You must be talking about some 3rd party installation software because installer packages built using Apple's PackageMaker cannot uninstall. I tried what you wrote and from the two packages I tried it with there's no such menu item.